South African Airways announced the cancellation of its flights to Perth and Sao Paulo on Thursday after the SAA Pilots Association confirmed their intention to strike due to a deadlock in pay negotiations.
On Wednesday evening, the airline decided to cancel the routes to Perth and Sao Paulo after being informed that the strike planned for Thursday would proceed. Khaya Buthelezi, the airline’s senior manager of corporate relations, told Reuters.
“That’s the decision we took last night since we could not find partner airlines that we can transfer our customers to, it became clear that those two routes must be cancelled,” he said.
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Early on Thursday, there were no disruptions to domestic flights or routes across Africa as the airline had made contingency plans, he said.
Some pilots were seen picketing outside the SAA office at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, Buthelezi said.
SAA pilot Sibusiso Nxumalo, representing both the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) and the National Transport Movement Pilots Forum, told the public news broadcaster SABC that their demands go beyond monetary compensation; they focus on improving working conditions and employment terms.
“The company has made a profit in the past couple of months. It’s not that we want a share of that profit; we simply want better working conditions,” Nxumalo stated.
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